The Name above Every Name is the exalted position and authority given to Jesus Christ by God the Father following His obedience unto death on the cross.
Because Christ humbled Himself to the point of death, God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name.
At that name every knee will bow — in heaven, on earth, and under the earth — and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The name above every name is both the public declaration of Christ’s supreme worth and the guarantee of His universal lordship.
In the great Christ-hymn of Philippians 2, Paul traces the path of the Son of God from equality with God to the form of a servant, to obedience unto death on a cross. The response of the Father is decisive: God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name. This is not a new identity but the open acknowledgment and enthronement of the One who has always been the eternal Son. The name that is above every name carries with it the right to universal worship and the authority that every creature must finally acknowledge. The purpose of this exaltation is clear: that every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that this confession might bring glory to God the Father. The church already bows the knee and confesses the name by faith; the day is coming when every creature in every realm will do the same.
- The name above every name is the Father’s response to the Son’s obedience unto death.
- It is the highest possible exaltation — no name, power, or authority stands higher.
- The purpose of the given name is universal submission and confession.
- Every knee in every realm will bow; every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
- The exaltation of the Son brings glory to the Father.
- Believers already live under the authority of that name and confess it by faith.
- The name above every name guarantees that Christ’s lordship will be openly acknowledged by all creation.
- Gift of the Father – Bestowed by God in response to the Son’s humiliation and obedience.
- Supreme Authority – Higher than every other name, title, or power in heaven or on earth.
- Universal Scope – Every knee in heaven, on earth, and under the earth will bow.
- Confessed Lordship – Every tongue will acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.
- Glory to the Father – The final purpose of the exaltation is the glory of God the Father.
- Present Reality for the Church – Believers already confess and live under this name.
- Future Open Manifestation – The day is coming when the acknowledgment will be universal and irreversible.
- Philippians 2:9-11 – “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
- Philippians 2:5-8 – The preceding verses describing Christ’s humility: though He was in the form of God, He emptied Himself, took the form of a servant, and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
- Ephesians 1:20-21 – God “raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”
- Hebrews 1:3-4 – “After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.”
- Acts 4:12 – “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
- Acts 2:36 – “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
- Revelation 19:16 – “On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”
- Isaiah 45:23 – “By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’” (quoted in Philippians 2)
- Romans 14:11 – “For it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’”
- Matthew 28:18 – “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
- Colossians 2:9-10 – “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.”
- Hebrews 1:2 – God “has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”
- John 17:1-5 – Jesus prays to be glorified with the glory He had with the Father before the world existed.
- Revelation 5:12 – “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”
- 1 Peter 3:22 – Jesus Christ “has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.”
God has given Jesus the name that is above every name. The path to that exaltation led through the cross. Because the Son humbled Himself to the point of death, the Father has highly exalted Him. At the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. The church already bows and already confesses. The day is coming when the whole created order — in heaven, on earth, and under the earth — will do the same, and the glory will rise to God the Father. Therefore honor the name above every name. Confess it. Live under its authority. And take comfort: the One who bears that name is the same One who loved you and gave Himself for you. His name is above every name, and His reign will never end.
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